Use cases
This app will help On1 Photo RAW users export metadata for HEIC/HEIF images. Such functionality is currently missing in On1 Photo RAW, although it is supported for other image formats. On1 Photo RAW does not create industry-standard XMP sidecars for HEIC images and can’t embed metadata directly in such images either.
So you need On1XMP if you have been managing a library of HEIC images (setting ratings, keywords, colors, etc.) and now want to :
- migrate to a different platform
- distribute images together with their metadata
- embed metadata (third party tools needed)
Features
Process multiple files in bulk
Choose which tags you want to export to XMP
Customize mapping between On1 tags and XMP tags
Quick start
Example
Consider a library of photos taken with an iPhone. You have applied star ratings and colors, as well as keywords and captions to these images in On1 Photo RAW. I have also generated location data from GPS coordinates. All metadata resulting from the above is stored in .on1 sidecars, provided you have checked this option. The date/time tags, GPS coordinates, and all camera settings information was created by the iPhone and stays embedded in the image, so we don’t need to take care of that. Selecting the following keys should export the missing metadata into an .xmp sidecar:
XMP sidecars can be read by most of image managing software, so the extra metadata will be imported.
Alternatively, you can embed tags from the .xmp directly into the image file using third-party software such as the excellent ExifTool.
Q&A
How do I add images to the list?
There are two ways to add images:
- drag and drop files or folders into the list, or
- click the (+) button to select a folder in the open dialog box.
The best practice is to add folders. When adding a folder, all images contained in that folder are added, but subfolders are not traversed.
When adding files, you should drag and drop image files with the extension .heic (read also the question on file extensions). Other files will be ignored.
The app expects to find the corresponding sidecar with .on1 extension in the same folder as the image file.
What image file extensions are supported?
By default, the app will add images with extensions .heic, .heif and .hif. You can customize this list in Settings.
Why does the 'Authorise access' window appear?
This is a security feature all MacOS apps must comply with. The app can write only to the files / folders selected by the user in the standard dialog. You need to grant access to the folder enclosing the files you want to rename, or any parent folder.
Once you’ve granted access, the authorisation is saved as a bookmark so that you don’t need to authorise that folder again. You can check the list of bookmarks in Settings.
Does the app write into the image files?
No, it doesn’t. It will create a new .xmp file or append to an existing .xmp sidecar. If there is an existing xmp, it will be backed up. You can customize the way backups are done in Settings.
How does 'Select keys' in the left pane work?
The left pane presents all On1 keys that are mapped to XMP keys. Only the ones that are checked will be exported into the XMP. You must select at least one key.
How do I customise key mappings?
You can define which on1 key is mapped to which XMP key in Settings. Make sure you understand what you are doing! The app comes preloaded with some frequently used keys already mapped.
- On1: the name of the key in .on1 sidecar
- On1SubKey: use this if a “helper on1 key” is mapped to the same XMP key. For instance, the UTC component of date/time is stored in a separate key in on1.
- XMP: chose the key from the standard XMP namespaces. You can’t use custom keys.
- Type: is populated automatically with the data type per the XMP definition.
- Container: is populated automatically with the data format (single value, array, ordered array) per the XMP definition.
You can export and import key mappings in JSON format.
What happens if there's an existing XMP?
The existing XMP is read and interpreted first. Then, new keys are added to it from the On1 sidecar. If a given key exists already, it is overwritten. Note that the old XMP is backed up.